Age Before Beauty....

[bigneville]

Did you know that whoever wins the World Cup Final will be the oldest side since 1962?

Evidence...

[Thracian]

Is that evidence of the influence of sponsors and advertisers? And the power of some of the world's ageing overpaid superstars, not all I would stress, because there are some, like Zidane, who have been a pleasure to watch?

Overall though, while I was impressed by the Ghanains and pleasantly surprised by the Germans, I have been disappointed by the overall standard of play, the often over-cautious tactics used or the individual/collective skill levels. Maybe the heat didn't help.

And when Turnip head Taylor came out saying something about England having great difficulty winning the World Cup, I think back now and wonder how the hell we lost it.

You watch an ordinary German team hit the pretty but limited Portugal for three goals through the inspiration of an animated and enthusiastic ex-forward in Klinsmann (while we voluntarily shunned attack) and consider the hardly invincible French and Italians and wonder why, why why, we did everything so ridiculously wrong.

Did we ever have a better chance of winning that trophy?

That's not hindsight. Sven was the wrong manager for us. His squad selection was also wrong and the tactics were wrong for all the reasons anticipated weeks ago. As a footballing nation we have to get our heads out of the sand and that goes for Leicester City too.

In many ways I wish Arsene Wenger was England manage now.

At least the idea of attacking would be restored and his influence would spread through our clubs both by example and demand.

[Ultra]

There are several better and more successful candidates than Wenger.

We need to tighten up on our discipline and his record at the gooners shows he isn't the man who can achieve that.